Hello,
My name is Lew Redman.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
This is a talk and meditation around the power of identity.
And how we can change our identity in order to serve our dreams,
To serve the things that we want to do in this world.
Identity is so powerful because it's what shapes what we believe and what we think is possible.
And our subconscious does a lot of work to try to keep us aligned with the identity that we see ourselves as.
This is why it can be hard to break away from a group of friends or people of a certain background because who we surround ourselves is so powerful.
I used to have this identity for me as this wild partier and being the life of the party sort of guy.
And there's a temperament under that that I think allows me to have fun like this and be a speaker and tell stories and do all that stuff.
But for me with I was around those people,
I needed to be that and I lived up to that or else I would have not been accepted in the group.
I would have not been living the identity and I wouldn't have gotten the validation that I was seeking.
And so,
You know,
They talk about this concept of code switching.
When you're around certain people,
You act different ways.
And it's really your subconscious in a protective mechanism.
Your subconscious is saying,
Hey,
This is how it's okay to be in this situation.
And so it was really hard for me to step out of the part of your identity to stop drinking.
And once I did that,
All those friends fell away and step into a new identity.
Entity to actually say,
Whoa.
How can I experience more of what I actually have to share?
I had a dream of writing a book and that seemed so out of bounds.
And even though I knew that I had this affinity for words,
The idea of calling myself a writer felt very edgy.
I wasn't a writer.
I didn't go to school for writing,
But by really stepping into that identity of I'm a writer,
Then I was able to actually work on and complete and share my book and writing is such a core piece of so much of what I do now.
And so there's many ways to step into new identities,
And I wanna explore one that I think can be really powerful and just also really fun.
So I've done some work with an organization called Animus Valley Institute,
And the founder is Bill Plotkin,
And he wrote a beautiful book called Soulcraft,
And it's really about engaging with nature to connect with ourselves in essence.
And when you go on one of these retreats,
Something that you have an option to do is to play with a new name.
And sometimes a name can be something that comes to you on the retreat,
Or maybe you have a name that you're working into,
And it could be something like Fire Feather,
Or sometimes there's these kind of nature,
Almost spirit names.
And the first retreat I went to,
I didn't really pick a new name,
But I could see the power for those that were,
Because when you were at this retreat,
People were calling you by that new name,
And you were able to just play with a new identity for a week and see what does that name have for you?
Move as for my wife,
She took on this name of Tsunami because it was a recurring dream that she had about a tsunami.
And so she went into it and it's like,
Well,
How does tsunami move?
And she was able to work with that and just,
Yeah,
Have that animator and help deepen her own understanding of that connection to a tsunami that she seems to have.
And it really wasn't until another retreat where I took on a name,
And I want to be succinct in my storytelling here,
But It was the night then before my wedding where our ceremonialist who is steeped in this sort of work,
She had me do a journaling exercise.
And that exercise was about listening to a message from my future self.
And it was in this message that I received a new name.
And the name that I had was Piercing Heart.
And the new name that I received in this journaling exercise was Spirit Blade.
And that identity of Spirit Blade is something I've been trying to live into in these last two years and feel into,
And I don't say that out loud or make that public,
But it's kind of like an inner thing of what is,
How does spirit blade show up to this microphone?
How does spirit blade show up to this coaching call?
How does spirit blade show up to this presentation?
And so that's the way that we can work on moving our identities and really stepping into different energies.
And so today's meditation is going to help you feel into maybe what's one of names,
The spirit names that could help you,
You can wear.
Maybe you just wear it privately.
Maybe you change your Instagram handle to it.
Maybe you change your social security to this name.
I don't know.
You could.
Some people do that.
But I think in essence,
It's about,
Yeah,
If I'm this name,
How do I move?
How do I speak?
In essence,
It's allowing the name to evoke different energies within us that maybe we haven't accessed within ourselves.
And so it's fun,
It's powerful.
Let's now do it in a practice.
So go ahead and close your eyes.
Come into your body.
Feel your seat,
Feel the ground beneath you.
Take a few breaths to soften any areas that may be tight.
And begin to imagine yourself in a room.
That represents your current life circumstance.
Maybe you're thriving right now and the room is bright and has a lot of energy.
Maybe you feel more in a desert and your room is desolate.
Maybe you're in a part of your life where you're deep into your inner work and practice and your room is like a monk's room,
Basic,
Simple.
Whatever it is,
See yourself in this room taking in what it feels like.
And go ahead and imagine that you pick up a notebook.
End.
There's also a pen beside it,
And this notebook is to help you receive a message.
And by the way,
If you'd like to actually grab a notebook and do this for real,
You're welcome to.
Or you can just do it in your mind's eye.
And this message is from your future self.
Who is further down the road sees where you're currently at and they have a message to share with you.
And allow them to share this message through you as you write.
And see if it has anything to tell you about what identity would be supportive for you to sense into.
And to help you connect with what that identity might be.
See if you can.
Step to the balcony of whatever room you are in.
And start to see what's outside.
What is the landscape?
Are you in the mountains,
The desert,
The forest?
What do you see outside your room?
And go ahead and look up in the sky.
And you notice a name appears,
Almost like airplane skywriting.
A name that will help you step into this new identity.
In your next evolution.
What's this name?
Maybe it's from nature,
Maybe it's from your future self.
Maybe it's from yourself.
What is this name in the sky?
It can be something like,
Peaceful warrior.
Blooming flower.
And letting the name come to you.
And noting that if it's not coming,
That's okay.
And the invitation,
If that's the case,
Is to be an inquiry for that name.
What is a name that will help me step into a new identity that is going to be in service of who I'm becoming,
What I'm doing,
How I can be of greater service in the world?
And with this new identity,
Let it resonate,
Let it come into your body.
Maybe you try it out with like an I am.
In my case,
It would be I am spirit blade.
So feeling into that,
What is it for you?
I am.
And when you take on a new identity,
We have a unique opportunity to stop things that are no longer serving and to start new ways of being.
And so I'm going to offer a little bit of a motivational musical message for you.
With that spirit of what's stopping,
What's starting.
Maybe some of these might resonate,
Maybe they won't,
But feel into the energy of as you take on this identity,
Connecting to what stops now and what starts now.
It stops now.
It starts now.
Everything you want is on the other side of you stepping into your power.
So what stops?
What stops is you playing small.
What stops is you thinking that it's going to come to you.
What stops is you believing that other people have figured it out and you haven't.
What stops is you thinking that you need someone else's permission.
What stops is you think that you don't have something of value to offer.
That you're not worth it.
That everyone else is already doing it.
What stops is that you stop believing in the lies.
Stop listening to the voice that says,
Oh,
I can't do that.
Oh,
No,
I should stop.
Just keep quiet.
It will be easier.
It will be safer.
You know what stops?
Anything keeping you from your truth.
Anything that's keeping you from your power.
What stops is the belittling,
The blaming,
The victimizing.
What stops is you not fully owning who you are.
It stops now.
It starts now.
What starts is you stop waiting for the email.
You write the email.
You stop waiting for the opportunities to come to you.
You go out and make the opportunities happen.
You are in control.
You are not in control and you are in control.
You stop waiting for the right moment.
You stop waiting for the right time.
You stop waiting for everything to fall into place so that you could just feel okay and say,
Then I'm going to do it.
No,
No.
It stops now.
It starts now.
What starts is you stepping into your power.
What starts is you owning that you have something of value to give,
Owning your worth,
Knowing that when you speak,
When you write,
When you coach,
When you teach,
When you lead,
When you show up in your power,
You are a transformer of others.
You become a way that other people wake up to who they are.
You become a light that shines on them and helps them brighten their life.
You are a part of the great ripple effect,
The great awakening.
That is happening on this earth.
We need you to play your part full out.
We need you to step into life's procession that marches in majesty and proud submission towards the infinite,
Just as Khalil Gibran says.
What starts now is you being grateful for the miracle of the opportunity you have.
What starts now is you believing and understanding that you create meaning out of whatever your life is.
Make it beautiful.
Embrace the joy.
Embrace everything that you were made for.
God made you for this exact moment.
God made you because you are the only one who can actually believe.
You are the one who can get through.
God made this circumstance to show you,
You have so much more to give.
You were made for this.
This is your time to show up.
It stops now.
And it starts now.
And taking another moment to feel into that name,
Feel into however that message impacted you.
And as you take on this name,
How can you bring this into your day,
To your life,
To this next unfoldment of what is stopping now,
What is starting now,
And who you are becoming,
How you are realizing what is already within?
And if you feel ready,
You're welcome to start to open your eyes,
Coming back into your space.
And if a name did come to you,
Please leave a comment.
I would love to read what that name is for you and celebrate you as you step into your power.
Yeah,
Open to hearing any way that this practice and this concept has impacted you.
And if you resonate with this concept of embodying a spirit name,
You probably have some resonance with indigenous traditions.
And I want to invite you to check out my course called The Four Rules for Life.
It's based on a book called The Fourfold Way,
Which documents these simple four ways of being.
And we use a lot of nature imagery in that course.
And I think it's a beautiful way.
It was a real,
It's a real guide for me on my path of simple,
Practical ways to show up and to keep following and trusting the path as it unfolds.
So go check that out.
If you haven't and sending you all the love and just an honor to be able to share with you here and I look forward to connecting with you again soon.
